Long-Distance Travel by Women

Long-Distance Travel by Women

People
in the
United States
took 2.6 billion
long-distance trips1 covering 1.4 trillion miles
in 2001. Females made 43 percent of these trips (1.1 billion) while males made
57 percent of them (1.5 billion). Adult females (18 and over) take about
two-thirds of the long-distance trips that adult males take (8 trips, on
average per year, compared with 13 trips). However, the median distance per
trip for women tends to be slightly longer than for men (216 and 201 miles,
respectively) [1].

The
largest differences in the number of long-distance trips taken by females and
males occur in the working age group-typically defined as ages 25 to 64 (figure
4-15). Among those aged 35 to 44, for instance, men take 61 percent of all
long-distance trips compared with 39 percent for women. This gap persists until
people are 75 years and older; then women and men take approximately the same
number of trips.

Trip
purpose also varies between females and males (figure 4-16). Both make a
similar number of trips for pleasure and personal business, but almost 8 out of
10 long-distance business and more than 8 out of 10 long-distance commuting
trips are made by males [1]. While business travel accounts for 16 percent of
all long-distance trips, it constitutes 21 percent of males' long-distance
trips compared with 9 percent for females. Similarly, commuting accounts for 13
percent of all long-distance trips but 18 percent of males' and only 5 percent
of females' long-distance trips.

Modal
choice between males and females does not differ much-both use personal
vehicles as their primary mode of transport, accounting for 90 percent of all
long-distance trips. However, females make a slightly higher proportion of
their long-distance trips by bus (2.7 percent) as compared to males (1.7
percent) (figure 4-17).

1 Long-distance trips are
defined as trips, originating from home, of 50 miles or more to the farthest
destination and include the return component as well as any overnight stops and
stops to change transportation mode.